Drinking straws having environmentally-friendly wrappers and integrated filters and methods therefor

ABSTRACT

A drinking straw includes a tube having an upper end including a first opening, a lower end including a second opening, and an outer wall extending between the upper and lower ends. A wrapper covers the tube and a securing element permanently attaches the wrapper to the outer wall of the tube. The wrapper is adapted to be opened for exposing the first and second openings of the tube while the securing element maintains the attachment of the wrapper to the tube. The outer wall of the tube has an inner surface, whereby at least two opposing sections of the inner surface of the outer wall are joined together for forming a bifurcated opening adjacent an end of the tube. The bifurcated opening defines a total area that is smaller than the area of the opening at the opposite end of the tube.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to drinking straws, and morespecifically relates to drinking straws having environmentally-friendlywrappers and integrated filtering elements.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Description of the Related Art

Drinking straws are used for drawing liquids from containers, such asdrinking glasses and bottles. In many instances, drinking straws haveouter wrappers that are removed prior to using the straws formaintaining the sanitary condition of the straws. Unfortunately, afterremoving the outer wrapper, many individuals carelessly discard thewrapper so that it becomes litter. For example, if an individual at abeach removes the wrapper from a drinking straw and does not place thewrapper in a sealed container, the wrapper may blow away and becomelitter on the beach.

Another problem with conventional drinking straws is that obstructingelements, such as seeds or pits, may be drawn through an opening at theend of the drinking straw immersed in a liquid. This may cause the strawto become clogged or result in a user accidently ingesting a seed orpit.

There have been many attempts directed to providing filters for drinkingstraws. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No.2002/0092919 to Campagna teaches a filtered drinking straw having a tubewith a filtering apparatus affixed to either end of the tube. Thefiltering apparatus includes a laterally extending strap that extendsacross an opening at either end of the tube for preventing undesirableobjects from entering the tube.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0182461 to Margetsondiscloses a drinking straw including an elongated metal tube providedwith a plurality of perforations at one end which filter particlespresent in a liquid when the inserted lower end of the tube is pressedvertically on the bottom of a drinking container.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0027675 to Takeda disclosesa perforated straw having a tubular body that is sealed at one end, withperforations in the body near the lower sealed end. The perforationsallow for fluid to pass into the straw while preventing the passage ofsolids present in the beverage. The size and configuration of theperforations determines which, if any, solids pass through the straw andwhich remain within the beverage container.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0175248 to Raimondo et al.discloses a fluid filtering straw including a cylindrical elongated tubehaving a first end and an opposite second end, the first end beingcapable of being received within a consumer's mouth for suction and thesecond end leading to an expanded filtering section perpendicular to thecylindrical elongated tube to form an inverse T structure. The filteringsection has at least two walls with a plurality of perforations formedtherein to filter particles of a pre-determined size in the fluidthrough the plurality of perforations and allow the fluid to passthrough an elongated tubular glass filtering structure for consumption.

In spite of the above advances, there remains a need for a drinkingstraw having an environmentally-friendly wrapper that remainspermanently attached to the drinking straw after the wrapper has beenopened. There also remains a need for a drinking straw having afiltering element that may be efficiently formed at a lower end of astraw without requiring an extra element to be attached to the lower endof the straw and without requiring expensive processing equipment formaking a filtered drinking straw.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, a drinking straw preferably includes a tube, such asa paper, plastic, or polymer tube, having an upper end including a firstopening, a lower end including a second opening, and an outer wallextending between the upper and lower ends of the tube. In oneembodiment, the outer wall has a cylindrical shape. The straw desirablyincludes a wrapper, such as a paper, plastic or polymer wrapper, adaptedto cover the tube, and a securing element, such as a mass of an adhesiveor glue, used for permanently attaching the wrapper to the outer wall ofthe tube.

In one embodiment, the wrapper is preferably opened, such as by peelingor tearing the wrapper, for exposing the first and second openings ofthe tube for using the straw. As the wrapper is torn or peeled away foropening the straw, the securing element preferably maintains thepermanent attachment of the wrapper to the outer wall of the tube.

In one embodiment, the outer wall of the tube preferably has an innersurface, whereby at least two opposing sections of the inner surface ofthe outer wall are joined together for forming a bifurcated openingadjacent an end of the tube. In one embodiment, the bifurcated openingis formed adjacent an end of the tube that is inserted into a liquid,such as a lower end of the tube. The bifurcated opening desirably has afirst half opening and a second half opening. In one embodiment, thefirst and second half openings of the bifurcated opening preferablydefine a combined area that is smaller than the area of the firstopening adjacent the upper end of the tube.

In one embodiment, a method of using a drinking straw having anenvironmentally-friendly wrapper includes providing a drinking strawhaving a tube with an upper end having a first opening, a lower endhaving a second opening, and an outer wall extending between the upperand lower ends of the tube. The method desirably includes covering thetube with a wrapper, and using a securing element for permanentlyattaching the wrapper to the outer wall of the tube.

In one embodiment, the method desirably includes opening the wrapper,such as by peeling or tearing the wrapper, for exposing the first andsecond openings of the tube, whereby the securing element desirablymaintains the permanent attachment of the wrapper to the outer wall ofthe tube after the wrapper has been opened. In one embodiment, thesecuring element may be seated atop a rim of a liquid container so thatone of the upper and lower ends of the tube is disposed inside theliquid container and the opened wrapper is located outside the liquidcontainer. Thus, the securing element may be used for holding the strawin place within the liquid container and balancing and/or stabilizingthe straw adjacent the rim of the liquid container.

In one embodiment, a drinking straw preferably includes a tube having anupper end including a first opening, a lower end including a secondopening, and an outer wall extending between the upper and lower ends ofthe tube. The outer wall of the tube preferably has an inner surfacewith at least two opposing sections of the inner surface of the outerwall being joined together for forming a bifurcated opening adjacent thelower end of the tube. In one embodiment, three or more sections of theinner surface of the outer wall may be permanently joined together forforming a reduced diameter opening adjacent an end of the tube. Thereduced diameter opening preferably filters obstructions present in aliquid, such as seeds and pits, as the liquid is drawn into the straw.

These and other preferred embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed in more detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 shows a prior art drinking straw.

FIG. 2 shows a drinking straw having a wrapper attached thereto, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows the drinking straw of FIG. 2 after the wrapper has beenopened for using the straw, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 shows a drinking straw having a bifurcated opening at a lower endthereof immersed in a liquid container, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows the bifurcated opening at the lower end of the drinkingstraw shown in FIG. 4.

FIGS. 6A and 6B show a method of making a drinking straw having abifurcated opening, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIGS. 7A and 7B show a second stage of a method of making a drinkingstraw having a bifurcated opening, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 8 shows a method of separating drinking straws having bifurcatedopenings, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a conventional drinking straw 10 including an upper end 12having a first opening 14 and a lower end 16 having a second opening 18.The drinking straw 10 includes a cylindrical outer wall 20 that extendsbetween the first opening 14 and the second opening 18. The cylindricalouter wall 20 has a central conduit 22 that extends from the firstopening 14 adjacent the upper end 12 of the straw to the second opening18 adjacent the lower end 16 of the straw.

In use, the lower end 16 of the straw 10 is immersed in a liquid fordrawing the liquid into the second opening 18, through the centralconduit 22 and through the first opening 14. An individual may suck onthe upper end 12 of the straw 10 for drawing the liquid into the secondopening 18 and through the central conduit 22 toward the upper end 12 ofthe straw 10.

Often, conventional straws, such as the straw shown in FIG. 1, have anouter wrapper that maintains the sanitary condition of the straw duringstorage and prior to use. When an individual desires to use the straw,the wrapper is removed for exposing the straw for use. One problem withconventional drinking straw wrappers is that the opened wrapper becomeswaste that must be placed into a refuse container such as a garbage can.Unfortunately, some individuals will not place the opened wrapper in arefuse container so that the wrapper will be discarded on a table top oron the ground whereupon it becomes litter.

Referring to FIG. 2, in one embodiment, an environmentally-friendlydrinking straw 100 preferably includes an upper end 112 having a firstopening 114 and a lower end 116 having a second opening 118. Thedrinking straw 100 desirably includes an outer wall 120 having acylindrical or tubular shape. The outer wall 120 surrounds a centralconduit 122 that extends between the first opening 114 and the secondopening 118. The drinking straw 100 desirably includes a wrapper 124having a first seal 126 adjacent an upper end thereof and a second seal128 adjacent a lower end thereof for sealing the straw 100 within thewrapper 124. The wrapper 124 may be made from a wide range of materialsincluding paper, plastic, and polymers.

In one embodiment, the drinking straw 100 desirably includes a securingelement 130 that secures or attaches the wrapper 124 to the outer wall120 of the drinking straw 100. In one embodiment, the securing element130 desirably forms a permanent connection between the outer wall 120 ofthe drinking straw and the wrapper 124 so that when the wrapper isopened for using the drinking straw, the wrapper 124 remains attached tothe drinking straw so that it will not become litter. In one embodiment,the securing element 130 is an adhesive material.

Referring to FIG. 3, in one embodiment, the wrapper 124 is preferablyopened for exposing the first opening 114 at the upper end of the straw100 and the second opening 118 at the lower end of the straw. As such,the second opening 118 may be immersed in a liquid container 135 fordrawing a liquid through the straw 100. The securing element 130desirably maintains the wrapper 124 attached to the outer wall 120 sothat the wrapper 124 does not blow away and become uncollected waste orlitter. The securing element 130 may be seated atop an upper rim 145 ofthe liquid container 135 so that the lower end 116 of the straw 100 islocated inside the container 135 and the wrapper 124 is located outsidethe container 135. The securing element 130 may be used for balancingand/or stabilizing the straw adjacent the rim 145 of the container 135.

The drinking straw 100 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 isenvironmentally-friendly, inter alia, because the wrapper 124 isdesigned to remain permanently attached to the outer wall 120 of thestraw 100 so that it does not become litter. When an individual is doneusing the straw, the individual will place both the straw 100 and thewrapper 124 attached thereto in a refuse container so that both thestraw and the wrapper are disposed of together. Theenvironmentally-friendly drinking straw 100 of FIGS. 2 and 3 ensuresthat the wrapper is always thrown away when the straw is thrown away,and makes the straw more efficient to use because an individual does nothave to handle a separate wrapper after the wrapper is opened for usingthe straw.

Referring to FIG. 3, in one embodiment, the securing element 130 thatholds the wrapper 124 to the outer wall 120 of the straw 100 may beseated atop the rim 145 of the liquid container 135 for holding thestraw 100 inside the container. For example, the securing element 130may sit atop the rim of a drinking glass with the lower end 116 andsecond opening 118 of the straw 100 located inside the container and thewrapper 124 located outside the drinking glass.

Referring to FIG. 4, in one embodiment, a drinking straw 200 preferablyhas an upper end 212 with a first opening 214 and a lower end 216 with asecond bifurcated opening 218. The drinking straw 200 desirably includesan outer wall 220 having a cylindrical or tubular shape defining acentral conduit 222 that extends between the first opening 214 and thesecond bifurcated opening 218. The lower end 216 of the straw 200 isinsertable into a drinking container 230 having a liquid 232 therein.The liquid may include objects such as seeds or pits 234 that should notbe drawn into the drinking straw 200. In one embodiment, the secondbifurcated opening 218 preferably includes two smaller openings that donot enable seeds or pits 234 present in the liquid 232 to passtherethrough. As a result, the seeds or pits 234 may not be drawnthrough the central conduit 222 of the straw 200 for obstructing thecentral conduit or being accidently ingested by an individual. Thus, thedrinking straw 200 shown in FIG. 4 provides a number of benefitsincluding preventing accidental ingestion of seeds, preventing anobstruction such as a pit 234 from being drawn into the lower end 216 ofthe drinking straw, and enhancing the drinking experience for anindividual by minimizing anxiety concerning possibly drawing a seed orpit through the opening at the lower end 216 of the straw 200.

Referring to FIG. 5, in one embodiment, the lower end 206 of the straw200 includes the bifurcated opening 208 including a first half opening208A and a second half opening 208B. The bifurcated opening is desirablyformed by sealing at least two opposing inner surfaces of the outer wall220 together.

FIG. 5 shows the normal diameter D₁ of the outer wall 210 of thedrinking straw 200, which extends along most of the length of the straw200. However, near the lower end 206 of the straw 200, the opposinginner surfaces of the outer wall 210 are permanently joined together forforming the first and second half openings 208A, 208B of the bifurcatedopening 208. As shown in FIG. 5, the first and second half openings208A, 208B are substantially smaller in size than the size of thecentral conduit adjacent the upper end of the straw. The smallerbifurcated openings 208A, 208B preferably filter objects such as pits orseeds for preventing these objects from being drawn into the lower end206 of the straw for avoiding the problems disclosed herein.

Referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B, in one embodiment, an extruded tubularelement 200 is moved downstream by a conveying element in a directiondesigned X₁. The tubular element 200 is passed between an opposing pairof clamping elements 250A, 250B. The clamping elements 250A, 250Bdesirably include opposing end faces 252A, 252B that may be closedtoward one another along an axis designated Y. The first and secondopposing clamping elements 250A, 250B are adapted to reciprocate towardand away from one another along the axis Y for pinching togetheropposing sections of the inner surface of the outer wall 220 of thetubular element 200. In one embodiment, the clamping elements 250A, 250Bmay be heated for thermally sealing together the opposing inner surfacesof the outer wall 220 of the tubular element 200.

Referring to FIG. 6B, in one embodiment, the outer wall 220 has an innersurface 270 with opposing sections 272A, 272B. The clamping elements250A, 250B are adapted to press the opposing sections 272A, 272B of theinner surface 270 together for permanently sealing and joining theopposing sections 272A, 272B together to form a bifurcated opening suchas the bifurcated opening of FIG. 5.

Referring to FIGS. 7A and 7B, in one embodiment, the first clampingelement 250A is moved in the direction Y₁ and the second clampingelement 250B is moved in the opposite direction Y₂ for pinching theouter wall 220 of the tubular element 200 therebetween. As the outerwall 220 is pinched together, the opposing sections of the inner surfaceof the outer wall are sealed together to form the bifurcated opening 208including the first section 208A and the second section 208B (FIG. 5).Heat, energy, and/or friction may be applied though the clampingelements 250A, 250B for forming the seal.

In one embodiment, as the tubular element 200 moves in the direction X₁,the first and second clamping elements 250A, 250B repeatedly open andclose in a reciprocating manner for pinching the outer wall 220 oftubular element together. As a result, a plurality of pinched sectionsare formed along the length of the tubular element 200.

Referring to FIG. 8, in one embodiment, after the tubular element 200has been pinched to form the bifurcated openings as described above, acutting tool 260 may be used for cutting the tubular element 200 into aplurality of separate drinking straws designated 200A, 200B, etc.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention,other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised withoutdeparting from the basic scope thereof, which is only limited by thescope of the claims that follow. For example, the present inventioncontemplates that any of the features shown in any of the embodimentsdescribed herein, or incorporated by reference herein, may beincorporated with any of the features shown in any of the otherembodiments described herein, or incorporated by reference herein, andstill fall within the scope of the present invention.

1. A drinking straw comprising: a tube having an upper end including afirst opening, a lower end including a second opening, and an outer wallextending between said upper and lower ends of said tube; a wrapperadapted to cover said tube; a securing element for permanently attachingsaid wrapper to said outer wall of said tube so that said wrapperremains attached to said tube after said wrapper is opened.
 2. Thedrinking straw as claimed in claim 1, wherein said wrapper is adapted tobe opened for exposing said first and second openings of said tube whilesaid securing element maintains the permanent attachment of said wrapperto said outer wall of said tube.
 3. The drinking straw as claimed inclaim 1, wherein said wrapper is made of materials selected from thegroup consisting of paper, plastic and polymers.
 4. The drinking strawas claimed in claim 1, wherein said securing element comprises anadhesive or glue.
 5. The drinking straw as claimed in claim 1, whereinsaid tube comprises a material selected from the group consisting ofpaper, plastic and polymers.
 6. The drinking straw as claimed in claim1, wherein said outer wall of said tube has an inner surface, andwherein at least two opposing sections of said inner surface of saidouter wall adjacent said lower end of said tube are joined together forforming a bifurcated opening adjacent said lower end of said tube. 7.The drinking straw as claimed in claim 6, wherein said bifurcatedopening has a first half and a second half.
 8. The drinking straw asclaimed in claim 7, wherein said first and second halves of saidbifurcated opening define a combined area that is smaller than the areaof said first opening adjacent said upper end of said tube.
 9. A methodof using a drinking straw having an environmentally-friendly wrappercomprising: providing a drinking straw including a tube having an upperend with a first opening, a lower end with a second opening, and anouter wall extending between said upper and lower ends of said tube;covering said tube with a wrapper; using a securing element forpermanently attaching said wrapper to said outer wall of said tube. 10.The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising: opening saidwrapper for exposing said first and second openings of said tube,wherein said securing element maintains the permanent attachment of saidwrapper to said outer wall of said tube.
 11. The method as claimed inclaim 10, further comprising: seating said securing element atop a rimof a liquid container so that one of said upper and lower ends of saidtube is disposed inside said liquid container and said opened wrapper islocated outside said liquid container.
 12. A drinking straw comprising:a tube having an upper end including a first opening, a lower endincluding a second opening, and an outer wall extending between saidupper and lower ends of said tube, wherein said outer wall of said tubehas an inner surface with at least two opposing sections of said innersurface of said outer wall adjacent said lower end of said tube beingjoined together for forming a bifurcated opening adjacent said lower endof said tube.
 13. The drinking straw as claimed in claim 12, whereinsaid bifurcated opening has a first half and a second half.
 14. Thedrinking straw as claimed in claim 13, wherein said first and secondhalves of said bifurcated opening define a combined area that is smallerthan the area of said first opening adjacent said upper end of saidtube.
 15. The drinking straw as claimed in claim 12, further comprising:a wrapper adapted to cover said tube; and a securing element forpermanently attaching said wrapper to said outer wall of said tube. 16.The drinking straw as claimed in claim 15, wherein said wrapper isadapted to be opened for exposing said first and second openings of saidtube while said securing element maintains the permanent attachment ofsaid wrapper to said outer wall of said tube.
 17. The drinking straw asclaimed in claim 15, wherein said wrapper is made of materials selectedfrom the group consisting of paper, plastic and polymers.
 18. Thedrinking straw as claimed in claim 15, wherein said securing elementcomprises an adhesive or glue.
 19. The drinking straw as claimed inclaim 12, wherein said tube comprises a material selected from the groupconsisting of paper, plastic and polymers.